Paul Pogba can take comfort from the criticism compatriots Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe received earlier this season, according to France boss Didier Deschamps.

The midfielder, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Thursday, has endured a difficult couple of months and has seen his role and relationship with manager Jose Mourinho come under the microscope.

Thousands of words have been written on what system gets the best out the France international but, arguably, he has not played well since January despite United using both a 4-2-3-1 formation and his favoured 4-3-3 set-up in that period.

Deschamps, though, feels the lengthy goal droughts Griezmann and Mbappe went through this season show that it is normal for a superstar to suffer a poor run of form.

"In September or October, Antoine Griezmann was questioned, then Kylian Mbappe was said to be in a hole," he said after naming Pogba in Les Bleus' squad for the game against Colombia and Russia.